schiek



Feb. 14, 1956 E. A. SCHIEK 2,734,362

DROP-WIRE AND DROP WIRE ASSEMBLY Filed March 19, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 1IN VEN TOR. fUGf/Vf fl SCH/[K ATTORNEYS Feb. 14, 1956 E. A. SCHIEK2,734,362

DROP-WIRE AND DROP WIRE ASSEMBLY Filed March 19, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Mllrllllllllllll I N V EN TOR. 0651/5 fl SCH/5K United States Patent Thepresent invention relates to drop wires and dropwire assemblies and,more particularly, to warp-knitting machines.

Numerous types of drop wire and drop-wire assembly have been devised andemployed in weaving looms. In

the loom, each of a plurality of warp threads, often numbering severalthousand in a sheet of warp, passes through an individual drop wire. Solong as each thread is properly tensioned, the drop wire -is maintainedin an elevated position. Upon breakage or damage to the thread,

however, which would give rise to imperfect weaving, the

tension thereof is released and the corresponding drop wire movesdownward to a stop-motion mechanism for shutting down the loom. Inwarp-knitting machines, on the other hand, the yarn is required to moveat least-three or four times more rapidly than the threads of weavinglooms. 'It has not heretofore been possible, in practice,

successfully to utilize drop wires and drop-wire assemblies in suchrapidly moving warp-knitting machines. In such warp-knitting machines,on the contrary, theoperators must continuously inspect the large numberof rapidly moving threads of yarn to try to determine by observation ifone of the threads has become broken or damaged. If the yarn is observedto be damaged, it is then necessary to shut down the machine and toproceed to re-thread the yarn. This re-threading and, indeed, the

initial threading of the warp-knitting machines is today done by hand,and it is extremely time-consuming ascompared with weaving-loommachines, since there may, *for example, be as many as 4700 threads.ofyarn to a warp, and frequently a plurality of warps are utilized inthe machine, one above the other. The hand threading of the yarn isattendant with the ;further drawback, moreover, that .the handling .ofyarn itself may damage or weakenthe threads.

An objeotof the present invention is to provide a new and improvedwarp-knitting machine that is notsubject Y any of the aboye mentioneddisadvantages. In par- .ticnlar, in accordance with the presentinvention, the warpknitting machine embodies a novel drop wire anddropwire :assembly that permits the use-of automatic stop' motionmechanism-s inthe machine, obviates the' handl-ing of the yarn, andgreatly simplifies-not only the original setting-up :and threading :of*the yarn, but, also, the repair of broken-threads.

2,734,352 Patented Feb. 14, 1956 2 seinbling of yarn in a warp-knittingmachine in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 5 is a similar view of an operational threaded warp-knittingmachine; .and

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5 illustrating the opera tion upon thebreaking of one of the yarn threads.

The drop wire of the present invention is a substantially planar element1, preferably of sheet metal, provided near its upper end with anintermediate opening 3. Communicating with the opening 3 is a slot thatextends from the forward edge 5 of the .drop wire generally inwardly andupwardly of the drop wire. The slot is shown comprising a first inwardand upward inclined portion 7, a second reversely curving portion 9, anda third upwardly extending portion 11 communicating directly with .thebottom right-hand portion of the opening 3, as illustrated in thedrawings. At the junction of the reversely curving portion 9 and theupwardly extending portion 11 of the slot, there is provided adownwardly extending recess or depression 13, substantially in-line withthe portion 11, for reasons .that will hereinafter be explained. At thelower end of each substantially planar drop wire 1, there is provided aprojection or collar 15 and a notch 17 the purpose of which will also belater discussed.

In practice, aplurality or array of parallelly arranged drop wires, isutilized, one drop wire corresponding to each of a plurality of parallelyarn threads 2 from a beam 41. The plurality or array of dIOP wires iscarried by a transversely extending .housing 19, Figs. 5 and .6. At thetop of the housing 19 a plurality of parallel guides or slots 21 areprovidedwithin which the drop wires may slide. Each drop-wire projectionor collar 15, before mentioned, extends transversely beyond one of theends of the corresponding guide 21, to the left in the drawings, tolimit the upward movement of the drop wire in the guide 21 so that thedrop wire can not be upwardly withdrawn through the top of the lionsing19. Near the bottom of the housing 19 .a pair of electrically conductiveterminal strips 23 and 25 are provided, preferably secured to oppositefaces of an intermediate insulator strip '27. The terminal strips 23 and25 are connected to any desired electric stop-motion, alarm or othersystem 29. The terminal strip 25 is shown connected to one of the inputterminals 31 of ,the electric system 29, and the terminal strip 23 isshown connected through a source .of energy 33 to the other inputterminal 35 of the electric system 29. Since the terminal strips 23 and25 are normally disconnected, being separated by the insulator 27, theelectric circuit 29 may normally be ineffective. When, however, a threadbreaks or its tension otherwise slackens, as illustrated in Fig. 6, thedrop wire associated with that thread drops downward under the influenceof gravity within its guide '21. The downward movement of the droppingdrop-wire 1 is limited or stopped by the terminal strips 23, 25. Thesestrips are positioned so that the slot 7--9-"1"1 will not enter the topof the housing 1 9 when the drop wire' is in its lowest position ofmovement, as otherwise it would be necessary to elevate the drop wire '1before re-threading the broken thread. When'the fallen drop wire hasbecome limited or stopped by the terminal strips 23, 25,the'before-mentioned notch '17 at the bottom of the drop wire straddlesand electrically connects the terminal strips 23 and 25 together,thereby permitting the energization of the stop-motion, alarm or otherelectric system 29, shutting down the machine or otherwise indicatingthat a thread has been .broken, as is well-known.

' The housing 19 is shown supported transversely of the warp-knittingmachine .upon a cross support 37 disposed intermediately .of the beam 41of yarn, thread .or the like, and the conventional warp-knitting comb43.

The beam 41 is shown supported upon an axis carried by the casting 39 ofthe machine. The loops 45 at the ends of the projections of the comb 43receive the free ends of the substantially parallel threads 2 fed fromthe beam 41. Knitting needles 47 are shown supported upon an arm 49 thatis rocked in the direction of the arrows 51, upward and downward,simultaneously with the rocking of the comb 43 in the direction of thearrows 53, in order to effect the knitting of the threads of yarn andthe like. Since this comb and knitting structure and its rockingmechanisms are so well known in the art, they are not illustrated ingreater detail in the drawings in order not to detract from the novelconstructional features of the invention.

The ease with which the large number of threads of yarn may be rapidlythreaded in the warp-knitting machine, and with a minimum of handling,is shown by the successive steps illustrated in Figs. 1 to 4. It is tobe understood that while only three threads 2 and three drop wires 1 areillustrated, this is only for purposes of explanation. In actualpractice, thousands of threads and thousands of drop wires will be used.In Fig. l, the free ends of the substantially parallel threads 2 fromthe beam 41 have been secured, as by scotch tape 6, along a transverseline AA disposed at one edge of a carrier strip 4, parallel to thetransverse array of drop wires 1. Each successive thread 2 along thetransverse warp is drawn longitudinally between successive adjacentpairs of drop wires 1. The carrier 4 is then moved to one side, Fig. 2,to permit the alinement of each thread 2 with the mouth of the slotportion 7 of the adjacent drop wire 1. The carrier 4 is then elevated toinsert the threads into the slot portions 7, Fig. 3. Further upwardmovement of the carrier 4 draws the threads 2 through the reverselycurved portions 9 of the slots 79--11, and thence upward through theupwardly extending portions 11 into the openings 3, as illustrated inFig. 4. In accordance with the present invention, therefore, by means ofsubstantially one motion, a very large number of threads, severalthousands of threads, indeed, may be simultaneously threaded through thedrop-wire devices without touching or handling by the human hand. It isto be understood that the subsequent attachment of the threads to thepro jected loops or guides 45 of the comb 43, once the apparatus isthreaded as shown in Figs. 1 to 4, may be eifected in the conventionalmanner, as with the aid of a conventional guide, not shown, that may besubstituted for the carrier 4 in order to guide the threads through theopenings in the projected loops 45, as is well known.

It will now be clear that the use of the depression or downwardlyextending recess 13 between the reversely curved portion 9 and theupwardly extending portion 11 of the slot 7-9-11 of each drop wire 1prevents a broken or loosened thread from dropping out of the slot79-11, Fig. 6. The slackened or broken thread 2, on the contrary,becomes lodged in the downwardly extending recess 13 and can not fallout of the drop wire 1. This permits of very rapid repair.

As a typical illustration, the drop wire 1 may be made from sheet brassa few thousandths of an inch thick, about two and a quarter inches longand about threeeighths of an inch wide. The recess 3 may have a diameterof about a quarter of an inch. For the conventional yarn warp-knittingmachines, the slot portion 79-11 may have a slot width of slightly lessthan about a sixteenth of an inch and the depression 13 may be aboutthree-thirtyseconds of an inch deep. Not only is the drop-wire device ofthe present invention adapted to permit the use of drop wires andautomatic stop-motion devices in the rapid warp-knitting machines,however, but the drop wire is of an improved type for use in any loom.Its advantages over the hooking or hurdle-type prior-art drop wires maybe immediately ob- 4 served in connection with the simplicity of thethreading and repairing operations above-described.

Modifications will occur to those skilled in the art and all such areconsidered to fall within the spirit and scope of the invention asdefined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A substantially planar drop wire provided near its upper end with anintermediate opening for receiving a thread and the like, and areversely curving slot extending from a point along one edge of the dropwire disposed below the opening inwardly and upwardly of the drop wireand communicating with the opening.

2. A substantially planar drop wire provided near its upper end with anintermediate opening for receiving a thread and the like, and a slothaving a first portion extending from a point along one edge of the dropwire disposed below the opening inclinedly inward and upward of the dropwire, a second reversely curving portion and a third upwardly extendingportion communicating with the opening.

3. A substantially planar drop wire provided near its upper end with anintermediate opening for receiving a thread and the like, and a slothaving a first portion extending from a point along one edge of the dropwire disposed below the opening inclinedly inward and upward of the dropwire, a second reversely curving portion provided with a downwardlyextending recess and a third upwardly extending portion communicatingwith the opena. A substantially planar drop wire provided near its upperend with an intermediate opening for receiving a thread and the like,and a slot having a first portion extending from a point along one edgeof the drop wire disposed below the opening inclinedly inward and upwardof the drop wire, a second reversely curving portion provided with adownwardly extending recess and a third upwardly extending portioncommunicating with the opening, the bottom end of the drop wire beingnotched and provided with a limiting projection.

5. A drop-wire assembly comprising a housing provided at its upper endwith a plurality of substantially parallel guides and a plurality ofsimilar substantially planar drop wires constituted of conductivematerial, one disposed to slide within each guide, each drop wire beingprovided with an intermediate opening near its upper end for receiving athread and the like and a slot extending inwardly from one edge of thedrop wire communicating with the opening, and an electric circuit havinga pair of normally disconnected terminal strips disposed within thehousing in the path of slidable movement of the drop wires to limit thesliding movement of the same in order to maintain the drop-wire slotsabove the housing, the terminal strips being connected together throughthe drop wire limited thereby.

6. A drop-wire assembly comprising a housing provided at its upper endwith a plurality of substantially parallel guides and a plurality ofsimilar substantially planar drop wires constituted of conductivematerial, one disposed to slide within each guide, each drop wire beingprovided with an intermediate opening near its upper end for receiving athread and the like that may suspend the drop wire in an elevatedposition within the corresponding guide, and a slot having a firstportion extending from a point along one edge of the drop wire below theopening inclinedly inward and upward of the drop wire, a secondreversely curving portion and a third upwardly extending portioncommunicating with the opening, the bottom end of the drop wire beingnotched and provided with a limiting projection for preventing theupward withdrawal of the drop wire from the corresponding guide, anelectric circuit, a pair of normally disconnected terminal stripsconnected to opposite terminals of the electric circuit and disposedwithin the housing in the path of slidable movement of the drop wires tolimit the downward sliding movement of the same in response to thebreaking of the thread and the like in order to maintain the drop-wireslots above the housing, the terminal strips being straddled by andconnected together through the notch of the drop wire limited thereby.

7. In a warp-knitting machine and the like, a beam for enabling thefeeding of a plurality of substantially parallel longitudinallyextending threads and the like, a comb for receiving the ends of thethreads and the like, a transverse housing disposed between the beam andthe comb provided at its upper end with a plurality of substantiallyparallel guides, one corresponding to each thread and the like, aplurality of similar substantially planar drop wires constituted ofconductive material, one disposed to slide within each guide, each dropwire being provided with an intermediate opening near its upper end forreceiving a thread and the like that may suspend the drop wire in anelevated position within the corresponding guide, and a slot having afirst portion extending from a point along one edge of the drop wirebelow the opening inclinedly inward and upward of the drop wire, asecond reversely curving portion and a third upwardly extending portioncommunicating with the opening, the bottom end of the drop wire beingnotched and provided with a limcircuit, a pair of normally disconnectedterminal strips connected to opposite terminals of the electric circuitand disposed within the housing in the path of slidable movement of thedrop wires to limit the downward sliding movement of the same inresponse to the breaking of the thread and the like in order to maintainthe drop-wire slots above the housing, the terminal strips beingstraddled by and connected together through the notch of the drop wirelimited thereby.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS OTHERREFERENCES Technologie Der Kettenwirkerie, by Emil Michael,

iting projection for preventing the upward withdrawal of published byKonradinverlog, Berlin W and Stuttgart,

the drop wire from the corresponding guide, an electric Germany, 1942,pages 54, and 56.

